2010 Canadian Weblog Awards

This is one I'm not eligible for since I'm on the south side of the 49th parallel, but a certain Canadian homegirl of mine and a few other Canadian blogging pals are.

But the best part about it is that you don't have to be a Canadian citizen to nominate good Canuck blogs you read or stumble across that are the bomb.

They even have a category for expat Canadians as well.

It's the 2010 Canadian Weblog Awards, and the nomination period started on January 1 and runs until October 31.

Why so long a nomination period? Well, the goal of the Regina, Saskatchewan based CWA's is to promote the Canadian blogosphere and Canadian bloggers.

It's also a juried competition rather than one based on popular vote like many of our blog awards are in the States.

After whittling down all the nominees, the Top Ten finalists will be announced in December 1, with the three winners in each category being announced on January 1, 2011.

Once again, you'll have until October 31 to nominate your favorite Canadian bloggers like I'm already busy doing.

Good luck, eh!

Nikki Araguz Update 4-First Phyllabuster

TransGriot Note: From the Phyllabuster mail list-first one since the trial started.


Phyllabuster: Judge bars firefighter's widow from benefits

Friends of Phyllis Frye, the Phyllabuster,

This is from yesterday's Houston Chronicle. For video and other go to www.chron.com.

As you know, my law firm is defending the widow, Mrs. Araguz. We are at www.liberatinglaw.com. Quoted below is Darrell Steidley, who is running the civil litigation portion of this struggle and who is one of the partners in my firm. We are very fortunate to have him in this mix. Actually, when you go to our firm website, I will state now that we are lucky to Salvador, Angela, Natacha and Jeremy also as they are each playing an integral part in this struggle for justice. And if you call our office at 713-227-1717, you will talk to Jeffrey (voicemail #6) who does his best to keep things moving smoothly. PLEASE, if you call for me and you get the machine, always punch #6 and leave the message for Jeffrey. (More often, your message will get to me faster if you leave the message at voicemail #6 for Jeffrey.)

As most of you know and as the papers and the legal plea papers of the in-law's side indicate, this appears to be a full and complete replay of the Littleton case (which you can read at www.tglegal.com). As I am quoted below, "If the legal chips go where I hope they go, I hope that we can get Littleton overturned or rendered toothless." What I also said was that too many people have been ruined by the Littleton case.

Finally, send comments about the article to the reporter.

Resting today (Saturday) but back into the office tomorrow,

Phyllis

#####


Transgender Foundation of America
604 Pacific
Houston, TX 77006

Make checks payable to Transgender Foundation of America. Please make sure to note that the donation is for the TG Center Nikki Araguz Fund.

Nikki’s FaceBook: www.tiny.cc/fb4nikki

Nikki’s Email: Nikki.Araguz@ tgctr.org

The Transgender Foundation of America is a 501c3 nonprofit that runs the Houston Transgender Center, Archive and Library. In addition to social services, the Transgender Center offers an array of support group meetings, lectures and events designed to improve the quality of life for transgender people.


CONTACT

Lou Weaver
713-520-8586
lou@tgctr.org
Transgender Center
604 Pacific
Houston, Texas 77006

###


Transgender Foundation of America:

Helpline: 713-520-8586
Fax: 713-583-5400

TFA seeks to improve the quality of life for transgender people. TFA is a 501[c]3 nonprofit.

TFA TG Center: http://tgctr.org
TFA Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=54582959028&ref=search#!/group.php?gid=54582959028
TFA Twitter: http://twitter. com/tgcenter
TFA Yelp: http://www.yelp.com/biz/transgender-center-houston

-----
TransHouston.com is the Houston Area TG Community online.

2010 Black Weblog Awards Nomination Deadline Is Tomorrow

The 2010 Black Weblog Awards nomination period closes tomorrow July 25, so there's still time to nominate TransGriot for Best LGBT Blog (hint, hint)

You can also show our Canadian homegirl Renee of Womanist Musings some love for the Best International Blog category along with other Blackosphere bloggers who do a wonderful job tellin' it like it T-I-S is.

Yeah, I'm proud of the fact I was the first trans blogger period to become a finalist in the Best LGBT category of the Weblog Awards. But bloggers of color rarely get nominated, much less win these overall blog awards, which was why it was a big fracking deal when I got nominated in 2008.

But for the most part, if we want to show some love and recognition to our best bloggers, we have to do it our damned selves because sadly, nobody else will.



I didn't start TransGriot with the idea of garnering piles of awards. I did so because I was tired of the accomplishments and the voices of African descended transpeople being ignored and whitewashed out of trans and GLBT history.

TransGriot exists because I have a lot to say about many issues besides just trans ones, and I have a voice that needs to be heard.

So if you haven't done so already, surf on over the the 2010 Black Weblog Awards website and take a moment to nominate your favorite chocolate flavored bloggers in the categories you think they deserve to win.

The finalists will be announced on August 1, so once you nominate them, come back to the site and vote for the blogs you nominated as well.

Nikki Araguz Update-Friday Court Report From Cristan

The Houston TG Center's Cristan Williams spent the day observing and tweeting the proceedings in the Wharton County Courthouse, and explains what transpired in this YouTube video.



A Fox 26 legal analyst claims that the Texas Supreme Court ruled on the Littleton case.

That's a lie. The all GOP dominated Texas Supreme Court (with future US Attorney General Alberto Gonzales sitting on it at the time) refused to even hear the case in order to protect Junior's 2000 presidential run.

So no, this issue has NOT been settled in Texas law.

Nikki Araguz Update 2

A FB page has been set up to support Nikki Araguz.

And she's going to need it. Peep this entry from today:

'When we broke for lunch at the court house, we went across the street to eat. People shouted a number of slurs at Nikki and transgender people and Nikki broke down. Mark with Resurrection MCC Houston led everyone in a prayer for strength. By the time Nikki was feeling better, it was time to walk back to the court house and do it all again.'



Hate to hear that.

As you probably guessed, this case is all over the Houston news and was one of the lead stories for the 6 PM newscast on KTRK-TV 13. Haven't checked the other news station sites in town such as KHOU-TV 11, KIAH-TV 39, KPRC-TV 2 or KRIV Fox 26 in order to monitor their coverage for any odious whiffs of transphobia.



Thomas Araguz III grew up in Wharton, TX which is 55 miles southwest of Houston.

One of the things his sister said that we can all agree on is that she would rather her brother be remembered for being a great father, a dedicated fire fighter, and family man other than this developing media circus.

Unfortunately, his heroic death is being turned into a tawdry money grabbing media circus and a case that could have a major lasting impact on our ability to get married.

Nikki Araguz Update 1

As many of you are aware of the initial arguments in Nikki Araguz's case were made down in Wharton today.

As soon as I hear anything or see any developments pop up in this case, I'll post it to the blog. In the meantime, Fox 26 obtained this video shot by a student for a film 15 years ago that was never aired.

Until KRIV-TV obtained the rights to them.





From Thursday's Press Conference



Stay tuned...this is probably going to get ugly before it's resolved

Shut Up Fool! Awards- Is It Football Season Yet? Edition

One of the surest signs that fall is approaching in the Lone Star State is the appearance of Dave Campbell's Texas Football on magazine racks everywhere in the Lone Star State and beyond its larger than France sized borders.

The Astros having a less than stellar season combined with the anticipation in the wake of the Texans first winning season since they started NFL play in 2002, the UH Cougars reasserting themselves in the national rankings, and the high quality high school ball in the area has many of us here in H-town ready for baseball season to be over and letting the pigskin games begin.

That's a nice segue into this week's SUF awards. Time to kick butt, take names and see what foll, fools or group of fools distinguished themselves in making themselves look stupid enough to earn our illustrious award.

Let's face it, there's no contest this week. It's Andrew Breitbart.

This conservafool has been posting lies, race baiting and and conservasmearing people and liberal progressive organizations for years, and was front and center in the campaign that took down ACORN.

His latest campaign cost an innocent woman her job,and now that his smear campaign has begun to unravel, refuses to apologize.

The Shirley Sherrod controversy was designed to smear the NAACP and the Obama administration, but it may have the opposite effect of finally being the nail in the coffin for the MSM taking Fox News and right wing smearmongers such as Breitbart as credible news sources.

And to Ms. Sherrod, who was unduly harmed by the conservasmear campaign, please sue his and Fox 'News' azzes.

Andrew Breitbart, shut the hell up fool!

Tired Of Being Invisible

TTransGriot Note: My post at the Rude Pundit

I get the honor of closing out this LGBT Week of posts here at the Rude Pundit. It has been an interesting week of commentary from some of the leading bloggers in the LGBT blogosphere.

Guest posting stints like this remind me that even though I don’t consider myself an ‘A’ list blogger, other people and my blogging peers think the TransGriot is all that and three bags of chips, and I thank The Rude Pundit for the invite.

So let’s get to what’s on my mind today.

I spent Tuesday and Wednesday attending the 2nd Annual Texas Transgender Nondiscrimination Conference on the Rice University campus. One of the conversations I was engaged in during our lunch break on Tuesday was the lack of visibility for African descended trans people.

The overwhelming narrative for transpeople in this country since Christine Jorgensen stepped off the plane from Denmark in 1953 has been disproportionately a vanilla flavored one despite the fact that trans people are found on every inhabited continent on this planet, including Africa.

And contrary to that vanilla dominated narrative, we’ve played some key roles in the shaping of the trans community in the United States.

*The first trans specific protest was a 1965 sit in at Dewey’s Lunch Counter organized by African American transpeople in Philadelphia.

*The first client of the now closed Johns Hopkins gender program was an African American transwoman named Avon Wilson.

*Miss Major was one of our African American trans Stonewall veterans.

*An African American transwoman named Marsha P. Johnson played a key role along with Sylvia Rivera of setting up and organizing the proto organizations that led to the modern GLBT rights movement.

*When then Senator Obama made his historic acceptance speech at the 2008 Democratic Convention in Denver, in the stadium that evening was Dr. Marisa Richmond, the first African-American transwoman elected as a delegate to a major party convention..

African descended transmen have also stepped up to the plate to provide leadership such as NBJC Board Chair Kylar Broadus, the late Alexander John Goodrum, the late Marcelle Cook-Daniels, and Louis Mitchell just to name a few.

But you wouldn’t know that if you peruse the trans history narratives being written, the melanin free White House LBGT receptions and congressional hearings, and the leadership ranks of trans organizations devoid of African American talent.

We even get ignored in our own community, when our fellow African American SGL people put together leadership lists purported to be inclusive of the entire community, but end up having no transpeople of African descent on them.

When they get called on it, they offer the weak excuse that ‘they don’t know of any African-American trans leaders.'

Oh really?

That bull feces needs to stop, especially when we along with our Latina sisters are taking the brunt of the anti trans violence casualties.

We’re not just ‘tragic transsexual’ victims, we are beautiful and talented people in our own rights. We are ready, willing and more than able to provide quality leadership for the entire TBLG community if just given the opportunity to do so.

The point is that this is the beginning of the second decade of the 21st century, and we're beyond sick and tired of being sick and tired of this situation.

You have a choice. It's either take the steps to correct this 'illusion of inclusion' situation, or suffer the consequences for your lack of visionary thinking.

Texas Transgender Nondiscrimination Summit-Day Two Recap

For Day Two I decided to go casual and leave the house a little earlier so I wouldn't have the METRO drama I endured yesterday.

I decided I just couldn't hide my Cougar pride and showed up in my UH t-shirt and jeans instead of being in diva mode. I got there early enough to partake of the continental breakfast and talk with some of the younglings like Ambi and Lowell and veteran activists such as Lisa Scheps.

I continued to hear how happy people were to find out the Texan in Exile was back on Lone Star soil, that my blog is well thought of, and people on the national trans leadership scene think highly of me.

If y'all think that highly of me, then hire a sister for your organizations.

While that made me feel empowered and happy, this event still wasn't about me. It was about Day Two of the Texas Transgender Nondiscrimination Summit and what WE could do to help bring change on and off Texas college campuses for the better.

After giving birthday girl Vanessa a big hug, we returned to the Kyle Morrow Room to pick up where we left off in the TTNS Day One proceedings on Tuesday.

After listening to the housekeeping announcements, my Group 5 cohorts and I headed to our group moderated by Shane Whalley.

It was a discussion about domestic partner benefits and the problems of getting them in a GOP dominated state. I did contribute some points from my time in Kentucky about how UK and U of L have managed to do so with roughly the same political climate and budget deficit situation.

When those 30 minutes were up, it was off to Randall Terrell's group to discuss the current landscape of Texas politics, the upcoming 2010 midterms, redistricting and how all of this affects the Texas TBLG community.

That was another group I was more of a active listener in because it was helping me get back to speed on the Texas political climate circa 2010.

Our group then went to our final mini session of the TTNS, moderated by Jo Tittsworth on another subject I've discussed or thought about more than a few times in terms of intersecting ideologies.

Thirty minutes wasn't enough for this group. We talked about lobbying strategies, intersectional work, incorporating different points of view in compiling and executing those strategies and how factors like race, ethnicity and class can impact it. Jo, Maria and I even talked about interesting things that happened to us while lobbying at the state, local and federal level.

We then took a break, then went into our large group before we broke for lunch that Lowell and Katy facilitated.

They hammered five main points about strategic planning that we expounded on in the discussions.

1- Defining the problem
2- Identifying the target
3- Gathering the troops
4- Status check
5- Evaluation of success/failure

We then broke for lunch while a smaller group headed by Randall began working on a joint support statement for Nikki Araguz that we discussed and cleaned up from the initial draft during the lunch break.

Yes, even during conferences sometimes real world events have a way of inserting themselves on these preplanned affairs that compel the activists gathered at that venue to take some kind of action.

I'm still bummed about a protest I missed at the 1999 Creating Change conference I attended that took place in Oakland. It was in response to an African-American transwoman who was assaulted outside the convention center, then was disrespected by the Oakland po-po's who were called to the scene to take the report.

I had to fly back home to be at work that Sunday, and while I was winging back to Texas from the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Area, the Creating Change conference attendees were marching in the streets.

There was also a conversation I had with some young African American activists in which I discussed with them the emotions and issues with being the lone POC's sometimes in conferences and organizations. I pointed out POC's would like to be active participants at many LGBT conferences and orgs in the community, but circumstances sometimes prevent them from doing so or we're not asked.

I advised them that if they find themselves being the Lone Sistah in the room, to be fearless in speaking up, saying what's on your mind and not be too overly concerned about it. You're damned if you do and damned if you don't no matter what happens.

If you don't speak up, you'll be kicking yourself for not doing so. If you do and peeps are going to trip about you representing your constituency and saying something that may not line up neatly with the groupthink in the room, so what?

After lunch came the role playing scenarios, and the question and answer discussions that followed them utilizing the strategies we'd spent a day and a half learning.

Then came the concluding remarks from Jo, the post test and evaluations, and just like that, the 2010 Texas Transgender Nondiscrimination Summit was over.

Before we left, we've been collecting donations toward a fund to help defray the costs of Nikki Araguz's legal expenses since her accounts have been frozen. It was $100 in cash and $200 in checks.

I spent a few minutes talking to some of the college students and other people I'd gotten to know over the last day and a half before departing from the Fondren Library and walking across the Rice campus to Fannin St. and my train stop.

I'm looking forward to interacting with them on upcoming projects and speaking engagements inside and outside the Houston metro area. You can also add Texas State to the list of possible places you may see the TransGriot speaking.

I'm looking forward to if I'm available to do so, stepping on the Texas A&M campus for the 2011 TTNS. Info and dates coming soon.

Hopefully at the 2011 event I'll see representatives and attendees from HBCU's such as Texas Southern and Prairie View A&M in the house as well.

TransGriot Notes: Photos of 2010 TTNS Courtesy of Angela Hon Photography

Phyllis Frye Is ON The Case

The developments in the Araguz case are coming fast and furiously. During Day Two of the TTNS a press release was compiled in support of Ms. Araguz that will be released as soon as it is ready.

One welcome development is that longtime attorney and the grandmother of the trans movement here in H-town Phyllis R. Frye has been hired as Nikki Araguz's attorney.

Frye runs a firm here in Houston that covers all facets of the law, but is well known as being one of the leading authorities on trans law.

If she releases any Phyllabusters of note, I'll post them to the blog.

The first round of this case will take place on Friday, and I and a lot of people in the Houston area and the Lone Star State are less anxious about it knowing that one of our best legal gunslingers is on the case.

The Ah Kua Show Comes To America

Leona Lo is bringing her sold out Ah Kua Show from Singapore to the bright lights of Broadway.

Off Broadway that is.

The Ah Kua Show written by Leona will be one of the plays performed during the New York International Fringe Festival, the largest multi-arts festival in North America.

The shows will be performed from August 21 to August 26 at The Club at LaMaMa. Tickets are $15-18 dollars and go on sale beginning July 23.

For those of you in the New York metro area, please consider patronizing this show and helping our Singaporean sister out.

Texas Transgender Nondiscrimination Summit-Day Two

After a very interesting and informative first day on the Rice University campus seeing old friends, making new ones and discussing how we're going to protect the rights of trans people matriculating on and off Texas college campuses, we're back for Day Two of the TTNS.

When we called it a day, we were in our group breakout sessions. We'll pick up where we left off in terms of strategizing to ensure that trans Texans have safe environments to get their education.

See y'all there.

And oh yeah, happy birthday, Vanessa!

Texas Has Transpeeps Marrying In It

TransGriot Note: It was past time to pen this song rewrite. I'm more than a little pissed over the fact that ever since the push for same gender marriage started, transgender ones which were once done with no problems, have come under increased attack.

Now we have another Texas marriage case in which another trans woman faces not only getting over her husband's untimely death, but having her gender identity questioned, put through media scrutiny and legally stripped away a la Christie Lee Littleton for fiscal reasons.

So, time to whip out those iPod's and sing along to Moni's remixed lyrics.



Texas Has Transpeeps Marrying In It
(sung to the tune of 'Texas Has a Whorehouse In It' from the musical 'Best Little Whorehouse In Texas'

Texas has transpeeps marrying in it.
Lord have mercy on our souls!
Texas has transpeeps marrying in it
Lord have mercy on our souls!

I'll expose the facts because they fill me with disgust
Tripping because of your genitalia and carnal lust

(your genitalia and carnal lust)

A Transwoman has got married and you fools have gone plumb wild
Yep she's hitched, didn't deny it, now you Reichers are getting riled
Bodies close together arms and legs all rearranged
Wingers want to stop it but nothing 'bout all of that is strange.

(nothing 'bout all of that is strange)

girl-girl boy-boy boy-girl girl-boy couples (oh no!)
Mixing with transgirl transboy all transgender couples (oh no!)
Transpeeps are getting married, that much is very clear
The latest one only happened just 55 miles from here

And now our own GOP Singers

(Texas has transpeeps marrying in it)

I'll put an end to this charade

(Texas has transpeeps marrying in it)

Stopping them is our crusade.
This is just disgusting and I'll fight it till I drop
Love filled copulation going on.
And it must stop

Stop that copulation!
Love filled copulation!
Stop that copulation!
Love filled copulation!

Texas has transpeeps marrying in it
Lord have mercy on our souls
Texas has transpeeps marrying in it
Lord have mercy on our souls.
Ministers hatin' on us and they'll fight us till they drop
Love filled copulation going on, going on, going on, going
on, going on, going on.

Don't touch that browser!
This is the Party of No saying we'll be back, with new and
revealing information about this and other cases.
Cause right wing haters never sleep

(Chorus) And it must stop.
Haters going to get you
Going to shine their light on you
Haters going to get you
Going to shine their light on you.

Texas Transgender Nondiscrimination Summit-Day One Recap

I wanted to get this up earlier, but I laid down for a short nap that lasted until almost 10 PM CDT.

Better late than never with my report concerning Day One of the second annual 2010 Texas Transgender Non Discrimination Summit.

It was scheduled to kick off at 10 AM CDT on the Rice University campus and I decided to avoid the parking hassles and take METRO and MetroRail to the event.

My morning did not get off to a great start. I just missed my first bus at 8:45 AM and the next one ran a little late. I have railroad tracks up the street from the house and I presume it got delayed on its southbound leg by the early morning freight train that rumbled by waking my butt up with its whistle at 7 AM.

Speaking of trains, when I arrived at the downtown transit center at Main and Pierce streets I sprinted off the bus to the train station platform and got there just in time to watch my southbound Red Line train depart that I needed to catch to the Rice U campus. Had to wait a few minutes for the next one to arrive and got off it at the Hermann Park/Rice U station at 9:54 AM.

I'm quickly walking to the shuttle bus stop from the train station and as befitting the pattern I've already established, I missed that one as well. Fortunately there was another one that arrived moments later and I got dropped off by the friendly neighborhood driver in front of the library at 10:00 AM.

I was afraid the TTNS had started, but my pissivity over my transit buzzard's luck eased as I finally sauntered inside the Fondren Library and headed up to the third floor and pick up my badge and registration packet.

I've done this numerous times, but surprisingly in this case I was a little nervous, probably because this was the first TBLG conference I've attended in the home state since I came back.

Of course I bump into Phyllis Frye five seconds after I arrive in the Kyle Morrow Room. She gives me a big bear hug, tells me 'It's about time you came back home' and we talk for a few moments before I start circulating around the room.

I wave at Josephine Tittsworth, who is doing yeoman's work attending to all the last minute details of running a conference as part of the host committee, a position I know all too well.

The TTNS starts a few minutes later with some opening remarks from Jo. It then segues to Phyllis who talks about her law firm for a few moments, then drops the welcome news that she's been hired by Nikki Araguz to represent her.

Vanessa Edwards Foster then steps up to the podium wearing her Hollyfield Foundation board member hat. She talked about the history of the foundation that fully funded the conference so that people could attend it gratis.

Katy Stewart from Equality Texas spoke for a few moments before yielding the mic to Rosemary Hennessey from the host institution. Rosemary mentioned some upcoming events and speakers the Rice Women and Gender studies program has in store for the upcoming fall semester.

As of yet, I'm not one of them. But I may be doing speaking engagements soon at my alma mater and Texas A&M. Will keep you Aggies and Cougars posted on those developments.

We start with a moderated discussion by Katy on the trans umbrella and just how vast the definitions and terminology within it is.

We then move on to where various schools in the Lone Star State are in term of their non discrimination statements. It ranges from Texas A&M fighting their students on the issue to total inclusion and implementation by Rice and Houston Community College.

LaKeia Spady spoke about the developments at HCC, Phyllis for South Texas College of Law, Jo for the University of Houston (eat 'em up!), Brian Riedel for Rice University and Shane Whalley for the University of Texas.

We move on to our keynote speech from Randall Terrell, who talked about the political developments in Texas. It was one I was paying extremely close attention to since I'm getting back up to speed on Texas politics.

We took a break at that point for lunch, and I got a reminder of just how popular and widely read TransGriot is, especially with college students. Most of the time I have the attitude that I'm not an 'A' List blogger, but people who read the blog that I have the pleasure of interacting with say otherwise.

Several of the collegiate younglings approached me and told me how much they loved the blog and read it on a daily basis. (Thanks!) Katy Stewart remarked that she didn't realize I was 'THE' TransGriot until she overheard a few people talking about how cool it was that the TransGriot was in the house covering this TTNS.

Had other peeps from my early transition days such as Jenifer Rene Pool in the room hugging me. I was told by more than a few people they were glad I was back in the state and the Houston area.

After lunch, there was a change in the program so Phyllis could present her segment and bounce so she could prep for a critical 10 AM CDT hearing in the Araguz case. A jar was passed around to collect funds to help with the case since Nikki Araguz's finances have been frozen pending the outcome.

Phyllis took us through a history of trans law at the state and national levels and pointed out why we're starting to get court wins lately.

Phyllis' presentation dovetailed nicely into a case law presentation by the TX ACLU Houston Regional office director Maida Asofsky and law students Crystal Haly and Benedicte Nielsen before we had our chocolate break.

Yes, chocolate break. It's exactly what it sounds like. We had our choice of our fave chocolate treats to savor before heading into our small group sessions.

FYI, I had a regular Hershey bar and Reese's peanut butter cups.

It was also announced that the host institution for the 2011 summit would be Texas A&M University.

Before the break we were separated into groups, and returned to the Kyle Morrow room to discuss various subjects within those groups. My first one as a member of Group 5 was on a subject that's near and dear to my heart, transgender inclusion.

That group was moderated by Katy, and after 30 minutes were up we moved on to our next topic, Safe Zones, moderated by UH-Clear Lake's Julie Smith.

This was one I learned a lot on. I'd seen the signs outside various professor's offices at the schools I've been blessed to speak at, but until today I didn't understand the significance of them. Not surprisingly professors from the humanities departments have been more willing to be Safe Zone counselors than ones in engineering or computer science. Julie noted that at UH-Clear Lake they have several campus police command staff as part of the program.

That 30 minutes ended far too soon, and after getting chance to chat with Jo, I headed home.

See y'all tomorrow.


TransGriot Note; 2010 TTNS photos courtesy of Angela Hon Photography.

Every Transwoman Needs Sistafriends In Her Life

One of the things I've discovered in this ongoing feminine journey is that every transwoman needs a group of sistahfriends in her life.

Roberta Angela Dee, one of my trans mentors once said, "I'm a woman in mind, heart and spirit. That's all that matters. They can cut things off, paste things on, or reconfigure my body parts. If you're a woman, you're a woman. Period."

But the problem becomes getting to that point in your life in which you get to that level of confidence that Roberta expressed in that quote.

And that's where your sistahfriends enter the equation.

Your cis and trans sistahfriends can not only help you learn, grow and deal with some of the issues currently affecting your life, they can give you a comforting hug when you need it or that swift motivational kick in the butt to get you going when you feel down.

They are your mutual support system. They help you celebrate your triumphs and are there to console you when life hands you momentary defeats. They help you confidently get through this journey we call life.

Your trans sistahfriends not only help kick knowledge to you about dealing with some of the issues we have to grapple with inside and outside the community as transwomen, but help us avoid situations that could get us severely beat down or killed if we're not cognizant about it at all times.

If you are fortunate enough as a transwoman to have a group of ciswomen as your friends, they are invaluable in helping you to understand what it's like to grow up female with a developing female body in a male dominated society.

They can explain or clue you in on the drama you missed growing up, share some of the good and bad times of their early feminine journeys, and help you make sense of various issues that crop up in your own life in terms of dealing with sexism, misogyny, and sexual harassment issues.

It's also crucial to get you to the point of understanding that the feminine journey is a lifelong and constantly evolving one.

A transwoman that has a network of sistahfriends around her made up of cis and trans women not only gets untold benefits from it, she emerges from that stronger in spirit and better equipped to take on a hostile world arrayed against her.

Moni's In The Middle Of The Texas Transgender Nondiscrimination Summit

At this moment I'm on Rice University's tree shaded campus sitting in the Kyle Morrow Room of the Fondren Library. This is one of the few times you're going to see me as a UH alum write something nice about Rice University.

Anyway, back to the post.

I'm here in learning and reporter mode for the second annual Texas Transgender Nondiscrimination Summit.

The event will focus on changing policies on college campuses to protect transgender faculty, staff, and students. We're listening to the opening speech now and the TTNS will be going on until 5 PM CDT.

There's a 6 PM CDT dinner at the Houston TG Center, but I won't be able to attend that event. I'm also interested to discover if anyone will show up for the TTNS from our local HBCU's Texas Southern and Prairie View A&M.

If you miss today's events, you'll still have tomorrow to check it out starting at 10 AM CDT.

Damn- Here We Go Again With The Invalidating Our Marriages For Money Crap

Many of us here in the Lone Star State and nationally remember the 1999 Littleton v. Prange case and the 2000 J'Noel Gardiner case in Kansas in which transpeople had DOMA used against them to invalidate their legal marriages as the spouses of their deceased husbands who stood to gain large sums of money.

In Christie Lee Littleton's case, DOMA was applied retroactively to do so and keep her from collecting a multimillion dollar malpractice judgment in a case she filed on behalf of her late husband.

Now comes word of another Texas case in which the relatives of the deceased are seeking to invalidate the legal marriage of a couple so they can get control of a substantial chunk of cash.

Nikki Araguz married Wharton Fire Capt. Thomas Araguz III in August 2008. He died fighting a major egg farm fire in Wharton, TX, just southwest of Houston on July 3.

Nikki Araguz's gender business was leaked during a custody dispute with Thomas Araguz's ex wife Heather Delgado, who is the mother of their two children.

Since Capt. Araguz was killed while on duty, the estate will be substantial. He also died without a will.

Drawing on the odious precedent set in Littleton, Araguz's parents have filed a lawsuit that will be heard in Wharton County court on Friday. The parents are seeking to keep Nikki Araguz from receiving death benefits as his widow by annulling her marriage.

If that happens, they would become executors of their son's estate and designate those benefits go to his surviving kids.

The kids deserve some of that cash, but this is an ugly no-win way to go about getting it.

One ray of hope in this case is that only the spouse has legal standing to file these types of suits, and that's Nikki. There's a possibility it could be thrown out on that basis.

I'm expecting this to not turn out well, but I'm keeping hope alive that I might be shocked by the outcome.

Sarah Palin's A Conservaidiot!

The right wing and Tea Klux Klan's favorite self proclaimed feminist was on the attack against the NAACP last week. Her beloved teabagging 'Real American' peeps got called out in a resolution voted on at last weeks NAACP convention in Kansas City.

Caribou Barbie's response was to go on Faux News and call on 'half-white' President Obama to 'refudiate' the NAACP resolution.

Yo Miss Right Wing Thang, 'refudiate' isn't even in the dictionary, much less doesn't exist for those of us who have an 'ejumacation' as a word.

She's now trying to spin it by saying she created a new word, and compare herself to Shakespeare at the same time.

That sound you hear coming from England is William Shakespeare turning over in his grave.

Please. I'm skeptical that somebody who went to five colleges to get a journalism degree is clever enough to do that.

But I do have a word I've been using on TransGriot that perfectly describes you and many of your followers, and it isn't 'racist', although that word does apply to you and it's in the dictionary.

Nope, my created word to describe you is 'Conservaidiot.'

Conservative + idiot = conservaidiot.

Come to think of it, it applies to a host of people in the right wing as well besides you.

It also reminds me of a comment I would say to people that tried to fake intelligence when they clearly were out of their intellectual league.

'Those of you who think you're intelligent, really annoy those of us who are.'

'Refudiate' that

When Are You Gonna Recognize Our Humanity?

'In recognizing the humanity of our fellow beings, we pay ourselves the highest tribute' Justice Thurgood Marshall

One of the questions that we transpeople of color constantly are asking ourselves is when is society going to recognize our humanity?

When will you see that we are fellow travelers on Planet Earth who are part of the beautiful diversity of life?

When will our civil and human rights be respected, protected, and ensconced in the legal books of the various nations we reside in?

When will transwomen of color be considered just and beautiful as our white counterparts?

When will transmen of color be allowed to step up, use their talents and take leadership roles in the community?

When will you stop denigrating, disrespecting, and whitewashing us out of the transgender history narrative?

When are you going to pay yourselves the highest tribute and respect us as fellow human beings?

The CCSF TransLatinas Club

I recently joined the Trans Role Models Facebook page and it has been great to see the diversity of the trans rainbow playing out on that site.

It has been refreshing to read about some of our community's historic figures who are being added to the page on an almost hourly basis and people around the world who are out, proud to be trans and fighting for its human rights.

It's also exposing me to people and groups I previously wasn't aware existed or were doing things because it has been happening on the local level.

One of those things happening at the local level is the TransLatinas Club on the City College of San Francisco's Mission Campus.

You don't hear much about the groups and the accomplishments of non white trans people. Black transpeople barely get a mention, and when it comes to Asian and Latino/a transpeople, even less positive news is generated.

Too many times when we do get a mention, it's in conjunction with one of our peeps being killed due to a hate crime or murder or steeped in stereotypical negativity.

The TransLatinas club was founded earlier this year on the CCSF Mission campus with the twin goals of not only combating transphobia in the cis Latino community, but inspiring more trans people from the immigrant Latino population to attend college.

That education and breaking down of stereotypes in the Latino community includes seminars hosted by the group in addition to TransLatinas meetings.

Nice to see a positive story about my Latina sisters, and may the TransLatinas idea be replicated at other college campuses across the nation.